CVs/Application Forms. Waste Of Time And Effort.

Getting a job is hard enough no matter if you lie or not. I have always hated CV's or Bio-data as they are sometimes called. But worst of all is when people ask to see my actual degree! Like, they think I carry it around with me, thirty five years later!

Its strange you mentioned that big employers should have 'opens days' because that is how I got my present job. 12 years ago. a massive shopping centre opened near me. It had been opened about 3/4 months when i got chatting to someone who was working there. The centre had its own employment agency,so i registered with them as although i was working, i had 4 part time jobs and was working about 48 hours plus per week. I really wanted a proper full time job but didnt have much hope as i was the wrong side of 50!. Just by chance i went along on a open day, when each company with vacancies had a table and you literally just went and sat down. in the far corner, all on her own was a lady with the name of a big department store on her table. A.as she was on her own i went and sat with her. Let me just say, i was totally unprepared, I was in my usual jeans and t shirt, not scruffy, just comfortable, we chatted, she asked me a few questions, than asked me back to the store for a formal interview, but half and hour later. So I went along, not having great hopes, but very relaxed. I gave them my address, mobile number and landline and really didnt expect to hear a word. 2 weeks later I got a text offering me a job. I was so excited I deleted the b***** text and couldnt find it. but i used my initiative, rung them up and here i am , I have been with them 12 years in November and very good it has been too. But I have been in employment for over 45 years and never had that sort of interview before, so I struck very lucky.

No, I would never lie to get a job I really wanted. If someone doesn't like me for what I've done in the past and the experiences that I have then I don't need their job. I don't like filling out application forms either. I am self employed and sometimes I get fed up with my job but at other times I'm like well I don't have to worry what other people think or say because I do my job and I do it to my liking.

I wouldn't out and out lie on an application. I might get found out! But i reckon most job applications stretch the truth a little to put a better front on things.

Mmmm I might have to lie on my CV for the simple reason that I cant say what type of work I do now because Im under contract. Now I will write the 2 last jobs I had on my CV and all the others.....well they dont even exist anymore. They closed. So thats what I say and it pretty much covers any time I wasnt working haha!! Ive owned 2 businesses and that pretty much covers the space of me not having a job. Let them try to find out if the info is right or wrong......they cant!!

In fact ,what many employers have done just makes employee pay lip service and resort to deception.They don't find real trained personnel the way they does. I am sorry to bother you,what is meant by the word"Mates of mates..of mates. Does my head in."Mind you,I am an one that like getting to the root of matter.

I wouldn't lie to get a job,....but almost all the jobs I've got are by word of mouth....including my first job. I hate the CV part too...because it's either too long or too short....and since I've changed careers, I'm never sure if I need to include the irrelevant experience...if I don't, it looks like I've been unemployed longer than I have and if I include it,I'm questioned about why I changed careers. I don't know about there but many IT companies here have 'Walk-in' interviews where people just walk in and get interviewed. I'm not sure how effective it is but it's usually for the lower posts and not even middle level ones.

Hello Janey. Actually leaving out the past experiences that are not relevant to your character or to the job that you are applying is recommended by speciality books so it is nothing wrong with that. Most (intelligent) employers know that you have probably also done something else in the meantime, and if they don't they will ask about it during the interview and you have the chance there to mention that you had other jobs but did not include them.

When it comes to lying on a job interview, yeah, I've lied several times but it's often those questions that suggests good moral from me. Some questions come up like "What are your greatest achievements?" or "How do you see yourself 5 or 10 years from now?" There questions, I often lie to because the interviewer really has no means of finding out what you're really planning or what experiences you really have. One thing I can strongly advice you, though, is never lie on your curriculum vitae. If they catch you lying on your CV, you might get blacklisted. I don't know if the companies in your country do it but here they do. What's worse is if you get blacklisted from that company, you'll also be blacklisted to their sister companies. That's something you don't wanna happen to you unless you're not really interested on getting yourself a stable income. Regarding your experience, maybe you're just relying on hearsay. I'm not sure, but here employers seldom "bins" the CV's. I know because my cousin works at the human resources department. She said employers do but it's when the applicant had a serious case with their company or any company linked to them. Maybe you're doing something wrong during interviews. Just look confident, sit up straight, and speak up. That's what I've learned through various applications I've been through. I'm really thankful to those that provide honest feedback, they're really a great help to me. Maybe you can ask for feedback too. After every interview, ask the interviewer for an honest feedback to assess yourself and reflect on what you should do the next time you're in an interview.

I would do my best to be honest. I knew a couple of friends of mine actually lie about their info in their application, but rarely they would succeed, because they would find out later. So, to be honest is a good way. Also, pull some string through your friends can be helpful too.

I somehow can't see how I can lie in my line of business because I would most definitely get my credentials and background checked. Unless I was going for something that would not require for my area of experience but then what would I put. I can't make anything up as they do reference and employer checks. So for me it is a no. lol

My experience in the last few years is that employers want us to basically work for nothing. They do not want to spend a dime on medical insurance or anything. I have noticed that they are hiring more part timers than full timers. They do not have to pay out anything for them. And when they do not need them anymore, they fire them. Business has become much more greedy through the years.

i'm still within 10 years after my graduation, so it's still convenient to use a CV. based on some tips i have read before, make a CV in such a way as that it could attract the attention of the reader, and yet simple. some would also advise to use a single page to just point out the very important ones and then fill in the details during the interview. as for the word of mouth, that is effective especially if you are applying for a government job. lol. in my country, some people can't get rid of nepotism. it pays to have relatives in the office. =) for the lying thing, i haven't done that, and i don't want to. i always think that the employers would find out the truth sooner or later, which could cause a bigger trouble.

I don't think I'd dare lie to get a job I really wanted, since it would be heartbreaking to be told - "Well we would have given you the job, except you lied about" fill in mystery lie "which we weren't really bothered about in the first place!" In terms of making CVs easier... If you keep a generic CV on your computer, it's easy to keep updated, rather than starting from scratch every time. Pick a CV length - 1 page, 2 pages, whatever you think is short enough that employers won't get bored, and STICK TO IT. If you have too much to put on a CV cut out the LEAST RELEVANT stuff - do they want to know you haven't been unemployed for a very long time? Yes, so don't take off recent work. Do they want to know you worked in littlewoods cafe when you were 15? Of course not! Take out filler jobs - jobs without skills you can make relevant to the position you're applying for, short term jobs, lower versions of your recent job etc. The same with education - if you've got a postgraduate degree, you don't need to include your GCSE and A Level results, but if your most recent education is GCSEs you do need to put them on - it's all a case of working out what's most important for you as an individual. Using tables really helps condense things like your employment history, and if you're really stuck fitting all of the important stuff into the length you want, consider grouping similar jobs together - "General Sales Assistant - Company X Start date-End Date, Company Y Start Date-End date". Whatever your length is, fill it. Employers would much rather see 1 or 2 full pages, than a page and a bit. Condensing it to 1 page would be better, since then everything on there really is crucial to your application, but if you've got enough information to fill pages without waffling go for it! Other relevant courses - if you're a first aider or have done any other courses that aren't typical education, put them on. Even if they aren't relevant to the position you're applying for, they'll make you stand out as someone hard working, determined, dedicated etc. Little tricks can also help your CV stand out. Remember in Legally Blonde, Elle has this thing about pink perfumed paper? Well I'm not saying you should go that far, but a very light neutral coloured paper (say pastel green) can help your CV stand out, as can using weighted paper or card as opposed to generic printer paper. Attach a cover letter - so few people do nowadays, and it'll help your CV out. Plus, you can state in there WHY you want the job as well as tying in important things about you that don't fit on a standard CV - "I have excellent customer relations skills, developed through my time volunteering at a local charity shop", "I relish the idea of working for a growing, developing company. I have always enjoyed a challenge which is why I train with the local karate/diving/other challenging activity club" etc etc. A CV sells you as a competent addition to the company, a cover letter sells you as an individual with initiative and a life! Good luck, I hope this helps!